Keswick Hockey Club's first-team were denied a game on Saturday when scheduled opponents Oxton were unable to raise a side to face the league leaders.

That left one home game, the men’s third-team against a Fylde side that were just one place and one point behind them at the start of play.

Both teams had quite a few young players in their ranks, blending with some experienced players, but the younger members on the Fylde side were certainly taller than their Keswick counterparts.

The hosts have put up some good performances this season despite their lack of experience and this latest effort was no exception, as they enjoyed a 1-0 victory.

It couldn’t have started better for, on two minutes, Joe Millage was on hand to draw the keeper with him as he ran left and coolly put the ball across the diving custodian into the bottom right-hand corner.

The home team had obviously put some thought into their tactics, and with the experienced Paul Heap and Rob Morris controlling defence and midfield, Mikey Watson was able to distribute the ball efficiently to his young forwards who were full of running.

The second half was more of the same with Keswick pressing forward, creating more chances.

Fylde tried hard, but having no substitutes with them, their hunt for an equaliser got harder and harder as energy levels dropped.